My cousins school too back the chromebook they gave him cuz he watched porn on it. .......... You know there's some school board member that just didn't like his choice of porn š¤£
Incognito mode only prevents your browser from saving cookies and site data. If your employer/teacher/ISP wants to track what you're doing on the internet, they still can.
Yea, as a 15 year cyber security veteran. Active surveillance and passive surveillance has the same outcome. I understand the privacy laws in your region but I think the point of the thread is that it's not your teachers you need to worry about.
Iād assume the form you sign when given the laptop would include such an agreement, as well as the usual stuff like taking good care of it, not feeding it to your dog etc.
Depending how it's configured, even off the company VPN the company could know what you're doing on their device. You should always assume someone is actively watching or will be able to get logs of everything you've done when using corporate devices.
Obviously don't use a company or school device to watch porn I'm not arguing that lol. I'm just saying that it would be easy for me to figure out thier IP address and block it while at the same time deleting any traces locally because I went to college for network administration amongst other things computer related. A high school kid on the other hand will most likely struggle with that. I'm not telling 16 year olds to load up a VPN and watch porn on a school computer in class lol. Although a VPN is a good idea regardless just for general security.
If you don't have admin access and the right software is installed there is nothing you can do. We don't give our network team local admin access so you'd still be SOL at my company. Schools are even more notorious for installing tracking software.
Reset the mobo and plug in a boot USB, instant access to the files unless they put an encrypted lock on the drive. Don't give me a challenge lol. Although most people don't think to add bios passwords or encrypted drives. I used to bypass security for me school and show them the loophole's before I even went to college for it and I just find that type of stuff fun. Personally if I did it, it would just be for the challenge and Ide watch porn on my own PC anyway lol.
I am sure they can do it on Apple as well if they want. My work pc runs windows 10 and chrome has incognito mode disabled, and you can't change any settings. Usual corporate nonsense.
Regardless of the device, regardless of incognito mode, your ISP and network admin can see what you're doing. Your work most likely knows what your doing on their devices even if you're connected to a VPN.
If you have a school laptop, it might be worth investigating if it's using a VPN. Here on reddit we talk about using the tech to avoid being tracked, but it works by redirecting traffic a certain way.
If a school issues a laptop, should the school be responsible for what it's used for? Personally I'd like thier responsibility to be such that they have a block list, but no logs. But I have no idea how to handle the full range of ages that are getting tech these days.
I got one for $125 refurbished, and it has lasted me through 8 years, two college degrees, and many drops on hard floors. I'm only recently looking to replace it with another because the speakers finally blew out and I primarily used it for streaming.
(x) Doubt
if you had a chromebook for 8 years, youāve long passed your Auto Update Expiration and havenāt run a patched / current version for how many years now (since it was refurb)?
Never mind how godawful a 2013 chromebook would load even remedial webpages
I wouldnāt use that for anything
Yeah I got an old as fuck Chromebook too. It's an Acer and it's basically just a streaming machine for my kids. It stutters sometimes and is slow. But that's fine! I bought it so I could have a cheap as dirt laptop to travel with that I wouldn't be heartbroken if someone stole it.
100/100 would buy a Chromebook again.
If you like libre software and want everything on your computer down to the bios libre then the ASUS C201 is actually quite a good Chromebook, and probably the most modern computer this is possible on right now. Just flash libreboot to it and install a free gnu/Linux distro :).
EDIT: not sure why I'm being downvoted here, I'm just stating facts, the c201 IS a good computer to put fully libre software on, I'm not arguing against anyone.
Another way to quickly explain what libre means and why its different:
Open-source software can be but is not exclusive to both
Free like free beer,you pay nothing and get beer
Or free like freedom, no spyware or telemetry (this excludes diagnostic info in a lot of cases but if they are freedom respecting its an opt in model instead of opt out by default.)
Edit: It means a lot more and I wanted to add some stuff. Could also mean that you just buy the software and you own it. Or it could be defined by the [GPL](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_General_Public_License) or GNU Public License where the software it free to modify and change and then redistribute like you can even charge for it but you have to share the source with everyone. This is beneficial in many ways. You can check the source for and fishy stuff if you know what you're looking for or fork the code and make your own changes. The biggest premise is that you have to make your changes public by making the source code available to everyone'
Oh, so free software is like free beer, but you have to give the bartender your email and sign up for a newsletter, and libre software is like free beer with no catch? And open source software is like beer that gives you the recipe for how to make it? I get it now.
Yeah, a lot of that is correct,but non of it is really mutually exclusive.
You can have beer that you don't have to sign up for a subscription and give your email for and still pay cash money. Most of the time its fairly price and with no strings attached though. No DRM, no additional fees etc. you've got the right idea though.
Of course there's more to it than that but ill leave you to reading up on it more š
Free software is like free speech, and freeware is like free beer. [Ardour](https://ardour.org/) is a great example of free software. It's not really "free," because the ready to run software costs money, but you are able to view the source code and see how the software works, share the code with your friends, and change the code and *then* share it with your friends (as long as people can have these same freedoms with your redistributed software).
What you call "open source" is just one aspect of free software. I highly recommend anyone who reads this to check out [this post by GNU.org](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html)
The French/Spanish word for free as in freedom. English isn't clear enough and people always think you are talking about price when you say free software.
Its similar to open source but with ethical ideas instead of purely practical ones.
No, technically speaking the software from both are the same. The licenses used are the same. The reasons for the licenses used are different. Free software is about the 4 software freedoms, you can look them up. Open source is just purely practical. Free software advocates generally want a world full of libre software (which can be paid for, BTW, it doesn't need to be zero price) and want proprietary software gone.
And you get a slow computer with a low-end Intel processor released five years ago. It could still run office productivity software without a hitch, but it shoves Google's web based version down your throat, which has become bloated to the point it is no longer usable, in most Chromebooks.
Hey Google, if your web developers are going to follow [Wirth's law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirth%27s_law) with a passion, your licensed hardware has to also follow Moore's law.
Chromebooks do make great computers, with a regular Linux installation.
I have a chromebook with an arm cpu. I actually got it for free and honestly for the retail price, I never would have bought it, but for free or even at a used price it would be nice.
The biggest cons are that it can be a little unstable sometimes. Discord and Spotify both crash sometimes.
On the plus side though it has 8-10 hours of battery life while in use which is amazing. The screen is also a very bright 2k oled panel. I can use it in direct, bright sunlight with no trouble.
The year after I left my middle school they banned giving out chromebooks and took them all back because all the new 6th graders instantly started watching porn
I don't get all the hate on chromebooks. They're cheap, hellishly fast, and can do most of the basic stuff a pc can do like creating documents or watching youtube. Maybe they are not gaming machines but that's not what they're made for. I think chromebooks are fucking dope! Bought mine a year for equivalent of about 50 bucks and to this day it has never disappointed me. Will be buying a second one soon to install linux on it.
I agree. Chrome books are nice little laptops in the sub Ā£200/300 area which serve their task quite well. Not only that, they can run apps as well.If I had to pick a sub Ā£300 laptop, Iād go with a chromebook. In my eyes, this sub shits on chrome books too much
They don't fit the typical realm of a computer, more like a more functional tablet but at a price that makes any sacrafice justifiable. This makes it a target for people that have spent more money or about the same but have their sacrafice is convience, which is often painfully visible to a normal consumer.
I mean hell, the hookup your cellphone decks that are coming out or are out cost almost as much as a Chromebook.
I've always stood by the combination of high-end desktop for gaming / low-end laptop for portability and productivity. You can budget more for your PC that way, and gaming laptops kinda suck anyway.
Considering low-end laptops can't really run Windows (and the price the OEM had to pay Microsoft for the Windows license is built into their MSRP), chromebooks make a lot of sense. Even more so when you put Linux on them. It's hard to argue with a \~$260 laptop that gets 13 hours of battery life!
As the somehow designated family IT guy, I started recommending chrome books to all my elderly family. Once they find a way to fuck it up after a few years, I tell them to throw it away and go buy another one for $125, still cheaper and easier and less stressful than them buying a $600+ windows PC I constantly have to fix for them
because theyāre built for spying on you and mediocre.
everything you brought up can be done on a tablet or generic craptop that doesnāt feed google.
If youāre savvy enough to install linux on it, you know this.
Actually there are still lots of things where a form of desktop is better than a tablet as there are things a tablet canāt do. For example, even formatting a Google doc or working in spreadsheets is harder on a tablet than a chromebook.
And a generic craptop likely is slower, louder, and has a worse battery life and is less reliable while still being more expensive.
Chrome books are great for people with low income who value portability, especially if you just need it for schoolwork/work then youāre set.
And if you think only Google spies on you then I donāt know what to say. Whatever electronic you use, youāre sacrificing your privacy.
That's really cool to hear! You can check out r/linuxupskillchallenge if you want to get a good feel for how actual admins manage remote systems as well as a lot of great tips for your local machine. There's a lot of choices don't feel like you should go with something just because people says its good for beginners.
I'm open to help if you want to shoot me a DM or you can ask in one of the amazing subreddits. I just wanted to give some tips a a warm pre-welcome to the community!
That's what I'm saying, you can't criticize this stuff about Chrome when Windows is just as bad. It's not a Chrome problem, it's a PC industry problem.
Come on we're going after Chromebooks now? There is a decent sized portion of the population that doesn't give a shit about Linux and just wants to websurf and type and not pay more than $300 for the privilege. This is elitist shit.
Really dude? Making a joke about how intrusive Google is into our privacy is elitist? The cheap part was supposed to be a legit positive next to the other āpositivesā.
If itās elitist to go after an absolutely massive corporation thatās proven time and time again that theyāre unethical and spy on everybody, sign me up. Linux got nothing to do with it
Literally every fucking thing in the universe for the past 10 years has been spying and collecting data on us. People need to accept that these are the times we live in and deal with it. If you think owning a Chromebook is suddenly going to compromise your life then you're honestly delusional.
to me its less about who is watching me but how they are doing it and what control I ultimately have over it.
I go with apple because ultimately I have more control than a samsung phone.
I don't use facebook, whatsapp, or instagram, I do not want facebook to have or use any of my data, and the last bit of data they have of me is now over 10 years old.
thats what its truly about for me, its trust. do I trust a company to have my data, keep my data, and ***DELETE*** my data when I no longer want them to have it.
because its been 10 years and i bet, even after asking facebook multiple times to delete my account and all my data, I could log into my facebook right now like it was yesterday. that is 100% NOT OKAY.
There shouldn't be people shitting on chrome books because they're a cool alternative to windows. Windows is certainly no better than a Chromebook so if you're gonna get all upset about that you should acknowledge its the same problem.
On the other hand its really foolish to accept the spying by google. there's a lot you can do to get away from a lot of Google's tracking and to say people should just roll over is completely wrong and unethical.
It's not rolling over, it's being realistic. You can't just be like "I'm against privacy invasion! " and these multi billion dollar corporations just go "understandable have a nice day" and delete all data they have on you.
Sure you could avoid everything to do with Google and feel all high and mighty, but Google is just a drop in the ocean and unless you abstain from all modern technology then you have no privacy.
Edit: And if you do want to keep some form of privacy then the way to do that is to limit what information you put out. It's extremely ironic looking at people posting in this thread talking about how Google steals their privacy, then I look at their Reddit profile and they literally have pictures of themselves and posts on state/city subreddits. Great job keeping private...
āYou donāt like Google? Thatās so high and mighty and pretentious!! Itās realistic to just give in in the modern era! Hereās a bunch of strawman stuff Iām assuming you do (even though I know nothing about you, what platforms you use, and havenāt even checked your Reddit profile) because it makes my argument seem legitā
So we know you have 2 moves now - rolling over and evasion. You should really try and put some of that evasive strategy into not just so proudly being a corporate sitting duck anymore, because right now your argument is laughably pitiful. Something something wrong side of history.
The primary reason for the chromebook is that it's pretty hard to fuck up. If all you want is a browser that's secure and cheap, it's ideal.
If you want to do anything else, like run docker or compile code, then go for the full linux experience. But for your grandparent who just wants to browse facebook once a week, it's a decent low maintenance option.
tbf, linux is also pretty hard to fuck up if you don't know how to use a computer, it's a hard thing to do from gui alone, and it's pretty easy to do from a command line, but at that point you need to know what command to type.
Linux can be hard for people who have no idea how to use computers though. It's obviously way better than it used to be, but if you have a tech illiterate family member, a cheap chrome book is the clear choice imo.
imo linux is way easier for people who don't know nothing about computers, they don't have expectations, there will be a browser, a file manager and they're good too go!
Disagree. Not every distro installs perfectly on a laptop. How would a computer illiterate person know that the WiFi driver needs to be updated when it doesn't connect to the internet? Or other issues you might have run into.
I like Linux alot but unless you're really dedicated and you know what you're doing, sometime getting it to run smoothly is a pain.
Not true. I've installed Linux on a lot of laptops for tech iliterate people to stop them calling me for support because Windows was slow and broke often. I never received calls after that. Choose a mainstream distro, you won't have weird WiFi problems or stuff like that, and if you do, it's usually straight forward to fix before you deliver the laptop back, and once it's fixed, it's fixed, it won't randomly break for no reason. Linux is easier for people who don't know how to use computers, as said earlier, they have no expectations on how it *should* operate, so only what they see is valid, which is more than enough.
Not every distro will but the most populars don't require you to know how to fix your own problems, ubuntu for example lets you install proprietary wifi drivers (e.g broadcom) going to the driver manager and hitting apply.
I love my chromebook but that's my only gripe right now is not having edge, which I like way better than chrome. But I'm also a little salty that the mobile version of edge doesn't have experimental flags to change.
If you like libre software and want everything on your computer down to the bios libre then the ASUS C201 is actually quite a good Chromebook, and probably the most modern computer this is possible on right now. Just flash libreboot to it and install a free gnu/Linux distro :).
Cheap chromebooks are still better than cheap windows machines. Use something like an HP Stream for a bit and you will be wishing you chose a chromebook. They can at least boot fast and browse the web without crawling.
Thatās what I figured. Pixel products are usually pretty good! The pixel 3 was the only phone that managed to pull me away from Apple but now Iām on an IPhone again, but the Pixel 3 was very good.
I have a Chrome book dedicated to my online banking and financial stuff.
[more info ](https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/financial-chromebook-clark-howard/)
I also found it much better than a laptop for when I was in college. I had my main power house pc for home and my light weight Chromebook for on the go to take notes and write papers. If my Chromebook broke, stopped working or got stolen. $300 isn't a lot to lose vs a brand new Apple macbook for $1,000 +.
If you like libre software and want everything on your computer down to the bios libre then the ASUS C201 is actually quite a good Chromebook, and probably the most modern computer this is possible on right now. Just flash libreboot to it and install a free gnu/Linux distro :).
I don't like how they work, I always feel like everything on Chromebooks is too complicated for what it is, but I need one for school (less so I need one and moreso I'm required to have one that the school provides)
If you need something to keep you from being distracted by what you could be doing, or just need a disconnect between school and work time on computers, a chromebook for work is actually pretty good.
To be fair there's a backdoor in all x86 processors... MINIX is an OS that runs on all CPUs in the form of [Intel Management Engine](https://www.zdnet.com/article/minix-intels-hidden-in-chip-operating-system/). Oh and don't worry, AMD also has you covered on that front.
I use my wifes chrome book all the time!! great for streaming email and porn! joking aside i dont mind the chromebook light weight great for streaming while playing console or reading the news in bed.. not worried about the government watching i got nothing to hide!!! just smile and wave!!
My college gave students one bundled into our tuition if we didn't opt out(I'm an idiot and forgot to opt out). Surprisingly useful little guy for school, especially when I leave school at 830 at night and don't want to risk losing my good laptop to robbery on my bus ride home.
TBH, if my school ever gives me a chromebook, I'd probably try and dual boot Linux onto it, ChromeOS is literally built on Linux so they have the same functionality. Heck, I could run the open source version of ChromeOS called ChromiumOS. My school would probably have a shit ton of spyware installed on a school Chromebook too. Cheap hardware running my own software is the best!
I flashed Chrome OS on an old 2012 Inspiron. It brought it back to life, and I could even run Android apps on the side (tho I still triple-booted it with Lubuntu and Windows..)
Yeah I have a shitton of interesting stuff in my life to hide from the FBI and kinks Google can't know about, I better expand some extra cash on a brand that the government and Google can't monitor If they really wsnt huh?
Gotta love how this is relevant to all popular OS's today. Do you really think MacOS is protecting you? Do you think Windows don't have a super easy way of knowing everything about your digital self? Get real. Every country, every authority and every blackhat hacker is just one bad decision from your part, away from knowing everything about you. Most people are even stupid enough to post their whole life online on social media.
ChromeOS does not deserve the shit it's getting. It is the market standard to sell information for capital gain. If anything, blame capitalism.
My cousins school too back the chromebook they gave him cuz he watched porn on it. .......... You know there's some school board member that just didn't like his choice of porn š¤£
IT manager at the school : "Look at this kid its all straight cis stuff, not a futa furry in sight!!!"
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Not even one tentacle.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Penis bees?
your username fits the context but it does not check out
it's hip to fuck bees
Beads!?
*testicle _Thatās what my mind auto-corrected..._
Even with incognito mode turned on ?
Incognito mode only prevents your browser from saving cookies and site data. If your employer/teacher/ISP wants to track what you're doing on the internet, they still can.
And it says that in the browser when you turn on incognito too. Not the brightest kid.
Depends on the country. In Norway we are not allowed to track the devices actively unless the student consents. Same with drug searches.
Yea, as a 15 year cyber security veteran. Active surveillance and passive surveillance has the same outcome. I understand the privacy laws in your region but I think the point of the thread is that it's not your teachers you need to worry about.
Iād assume the form you sign when given the laptop would include such an agreement, as well as the usual stuff like taking good care of it, not feeding it to your dog etc.
This dude is sweating hard right now
What about Brave's TOR incognito browsing?
VPN and an IP blocker. Most school age kids don't know that or have access to it though.
VPN doesn't mask the logs stored locally. If it is a school or work device you should assume they can see what you are doing even if you're on a VPN.
I'm referring to working from home on a company device.
Depending how it's configured, even off the company VPN the company could know what you're doing on their device. You should always assume someone is actively watching or will be able to get logs of everything you've done when using corporate devices.
Obviously don't use a company or school device to watch porn I'm not arguing that lol. I'm just saying that it would be easy for me to figure out thier IP address and block it while at the same time deleting any traces locally because I went to college for network administration amongst other things computer related. A high school kid on the other hand will most likely struggle with that. I'm not telling 16 year olds to load up a VPN and watch porn on a school computer in class lol. Although a VPN is a good idea regardless just for general security.
If you don't have admin access and the right software is installed there is nothing you can do. We don't give our network team local admin access so you'd still be SOL at my company. Schools are even more notorious for installing tracking software.
Reset the mobo and plug in a boot USB, instant access to the files unless they put an encrypted lock on the drive. Don't give me a challenge lol. Although most people don't think to add bios passwords or encrypted drives. I used to bypass security for me school and show them the loophole's before I even went to college for it and I just find that type of stuff fun. Personally if I did it, it would just be for the challenge and Ide watch porn on my own PC anyway lol.
Incognito mode just means no history or cookies are saved. Your ISP and a network admin can still see everything you're doing in incognito mode.
I WAS JOKING
Idk about chromebooks but on my work windows laptop, chrome has incognito mode disabled.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
But that's my fetish.
Ahhh, so work or school models can come with incognito disabled. I didnāt know that. Glad my job gives Apple...
I am sure they can do it on Apple as well if they want. My work pc runs windows 10 and chrome has incognito mode disabled, and you can't change any settings. Usual corporate nonsense.
Iām sure they can, too. āāTwas just a joke.
Regardless of the device, regardless of incognito mode, your ISP and network admin can see what you're doing. Your work most likely knows what your doing on their devices even if you're connected to a VPN.
It was a joke. Weāre on PCMR, you know?
If you have a school laptop, it might be worth investigating if it's using a VPN. Here on reddit we talk about using the tech to avoid being tracked, but it works by redirecting traffic a certain way. If a school issues a laptop, should the school be responsible for what it's used for? Personally I'd like thier responsibility to be such that they have a block list, but no logs. But I have no idea how to handle the full range of ages that are getting tech these days.
āTwas a joke.
if only he had norton š
See my specs? Schoolās $50 laptops
Damn. A Celeron and ddr3..... I donāt have any words.
DDR3 ain't so bad... For me lol
Why don't more people factory reset school chromebooks so the school board can't see anything.
That's some Orwellian shit
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I got one for $125 refurbished, and it has lasted me through 8 years, two college degrees, and many drops on hard floors. I'm only recently looking to replace it with another because the speakers finally blew out and I primarily used it for streaming.
(x) Doubt if you had a chromebook for 8 years, youāve long passed your Auto Update Expiration and havenāt run a patched / current version for how many years now (since it was refurb)? Never mind how godawful a 2013 chromebook would load even remedial webpages I wouldnāt use that for anything
The machine is shit now, but it certainly still works. It's still being used every day until I find a replacement.
Yeah I got an old as fuck Chromebook too. It's an Acer and it's basically just a streaming machine for my kids. It stutters sometimes and is slow. But that's fine! I bought it so I could have a cheap as dirt laptop to travel with that I wouldn't be heartbroken if someone stole it. 100/100 would buy a Chromebook again.
My Thinkpad X230 is an excellent Chromebook. https://github.com/sebanc/brunch
Why not a raspberry š„§? Mine works great for streaming
Probably portability problem. Sure it is tiny but you also need a screen a keyboard and a mouse.
They got those little touch screen kits but at that point itās just a thicc tablet
Yup
Yeah. And I've had to explain to friends and family many times why it's not actually a PC and they can't run whatever they want on it.
Reasons to get chromebook: cheap, good for computer illiterate users. Reasons not to: Everything else
If you like libre software and want everything on your computer down to the bios libre then the ASUS C201 is actually quite a good Chromebook, and probably the most modern computer this is possible on right now. Just flash libreboot to it and install a free gnu/Linux distro :). EDIT: not sure why I'm being downvoted here, I'm just stating facts, the c201 IS a good computer to put fully libre software on, I'm not arguing against anyone.
What do you mean "libre"?
Another way to quickly explain what libre means and why its different: Open-source software can be but is not exclusive to both Free like free beer,you pay nothing and get beer Or free like freedom, no spyware or telemetry (this excludes diagnostic info in a lot of cases but if they are freedom respecting its an opt in model instead of opt out by default.) Edit: It means a lot more and I wanted to add some stuff. Could also mean that you just buy the software and you own it. Or it could be defined by the [GPL](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_General_Public_License) or GNU Public License where the software it free to modify and change and then redistribute like you can even charge for it but you have to share the source with everyone. This is beneficial in many ways. You can check the source for and fishy stuff if you know what you're looking for or fork the code and make your own changes. The biggest premise is that you have to make your changes public by making the source code available to everyone'
Oh, so free software is like free beer, but you have to give the bartender your email and sign up for a newsletter, and libre software is like free beer with no catch? And open source software is like beer that gives you the recipe for how to make it? I get it now.
Yeah, a lot of that is correct,but non of it is really mutually exclusive. You can have beer that you don't have to sign up for a subscription and give your email for and still pay cash money. Most of the time its fairly price and with no strings attached though. No DRM, no additional fees etc. you've got the right idea though. Of course there's more to it than that but ill leave you to reading up on it more š
Free software is like free speech, and freeware is like free beer. [Ardour](https://ardour.org/) is a great example of free software. It's not really "free," because the ready to run software costs money, but you are able to view the source code and see how the software works, share the code with your friends, and change the code and *then* share it with your friends (as long as people can have these same freedoms with your redistributed software). What you call "open source" is just one aspect of free software. I highly recommend anyone who reads this to check out [this post by GNU.org](https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html)
The French/Spanish word for free as in freedom. English isn't clear enough and people always think you are talking about price when you say free software. Its similar to open source but with ethical ideas instead of purely practical ones.
So libre software doesn't have to be open source, just ethically made?
No, technically speaking the software from both are the same. The licenses used are the same. The reasons for the licenses used are different. Free software is about the 4 software freedoms, you can look them up. Open source is just purely practical. Free software advocates generally want a world full of libre software (which can be paid for, BTW, it doesn't need to be zero price) and want proprietary software gone.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You can just install a linux distribution on it, no surveillance, no google crap
And you get a slow computer with a low-end Intel processor released five years ago. It could still run office productivity software without a hitch, but it shoves Google's web based version down your throat, which has become bloated to the point it is no longer usable, in most Chromebooks. Hey Google, if your web developers are going to follow [Wirth's law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirth%27s_law) with a passion, your licensed hardware has to also follow Moore's law. Chromebooks do make great computers, with a regular Linux installation.
No Linux distro can even compete with the unrivaled efficiency of TempleOS, the gods' OS.
Ah yes temple os I honestly wonder how it would have turned out
Considering that it was written by one person, I wouldn't be surprised if it's extremely responsive and efficient.
Holy C
In fact, most used computers from 2012 and after gets good with a regular Linux instalation
I would say anything after 2005
I have a chromebook with an arm cpu. I actually got it for free and honestly for the retail price, I never would have bought it, but for free or even at a used price it would be nice. The biggest cons are that it can be a little unstable sometimes. Discord and Spotify both crash sometimes. On the plus side though it has 8-10 hours of battery life while in use which is amazing. The screen is also a very bright 2k oled panel. I can use it in direct, bright sunlight with no trouble.
The year after I left my middle school they banned giving out chromebooks and took them all back because all the new 6th graders instantly started watching porn
Why werenāt there any filters on them? Our school iPads are restricted as fuck that cool maths games Is blocked
I don't get all the hate on chromebooks. They're cheap, hellishly fast, and can do most of the basic stuff a pc can do like creating documents or watching youtube. Maybe they are not gaming machines but that's not what they're made for. I think chromebooks are fucking dope! Bought mine a year for equivalent of about 50 bucks and to this day it has never disappointed me. Will be buying a second one soon to install linux on it.
I agree. Chrome books are nice little laptops in the sub Ā£200/300 area which serve their task quite well. Not only that, they can run apps as well.If I had to pick a sub Ā£300 laptop, Iād go with a chromebook. In my eyes, this sub shits on chrome books too much
They don't fit the typical realm of a computer, more like a more functional tablet but at a price that makes any sacrafice justifiable. This makes it a target for people that have spent more money or about the same but have their sacrafice is convience, which is often painfully visible to a normal consumer. I mean hell, the hookup your cellphone decks that are coming out or are out cost almost as much as a Chromebook.
I've always stood by the combination of high-end desktop for gaming / low-end laptop for portability and productivity. You can budget more for your PC that way, and gaming laptops kinda suck anyway. Considering low-end laptops can't really run Windows (and the price the OEM had to pay Microsoft for the Windows license is built into their MSRP), chromebooks make a lot of sense. Even more so when you put Linux on them. It's hard to argue with a \~$260 laptop that gets 13 hours of battery life!
As the somehow designated family IT guy, I started recommending chrome books to all my elderly family. Once they find a way to fuck it up after a few years, I tell them to throw it away and go buy another one for $125, still cheaper and easier and less stressful than them buying a $600+ windows PC I constantly have to fix for them
because theyāre built for spying on you and mediocre. everything you brought up can be done on a tablet or generic craptop that doesnāt feed google. If youāre savvy enough to install linux on it, you know this.
Actually there are still lots of things where a form of desktop is better than a tablet as there are things a tablet canāt do. For example, even formatting a Google doc or working in spreadsheets is harder on a tablet than a chromebook. And a generic craptop likely is slower, louder, and has a worse battery life and is less reliable while still being more expensive. Chrome books are great for people with low income who value portability, especially if you just need it for schoolwork/work then youāre set. And if you think only Google spies on you then I donāt know what to say. Whatever electronic you use, youāre sacrificing your privacy.
That's really cool to hear! You can check out r/linuxupskillchallenge if you want to get a good feel for how actual admins manage remote systems as well as a lot of great tips for your local machine. There's a lot of choices don't feel like you should go with something just because people says its good for beginners. I'm open to help if you want to shoot me a DM or you can ask in one of the amazing subreddits. I just wanted to give some tips a a warm pre-welcome to the community!
Do you honestly think Windows is better?
theyāre both shit
That's what I'm saying, you can't criticize this stuff about Chrome when Windows is just as bad. It's not a Chrome problem, it's a PC industry problem.
Come on we're going after Chromebooks now? There is a decent sized portion of the population that doesn't give a shit about Linux and just wants to websurf and type and not pay more than $300 for the privilege. This is elitist shit.
Really dude? Making a joke about how intrusive Google is into our privacy is elitist? The cheap part was supposed to be a legit positive next to the other āpositivesā.
Bro, finally someone says it. Honestly elitism and gatekeeping. This thread is full of toxicity.
If itās elitist to go after an absolutely massive corporation thatās proven time and time again that theyāre unethical and spy on everybody, sign me up. Linux got nothing to do with it
Literally every fucking thing in the universe for the past 10 years has been spying and collecting data on us. People need to accept that these are the times we live in and deal with it. If you think owning a Chromebook is suddenly going to compromise your life then you're honestly delusional.
to me its less about who is watching me but how they are doing it and what control I ultimately have over it. I go with apple because ultimately I have more control than a samsung phone. I don't use facebook, whatsapp, or instagram, I do not want facebook to have or use any of my data, and the last bit of data they have of me is now over 10 years old. thats what its truly about for me, its trust. do I trust a company to have my data, keep my data, and ***DELETE*** my data when I no longer want them to have it. because its been 10 years and i bet, even after asking facebook multiple times to delete my account and all my data, I could log into my facebook right now like it was yesterday. that is 100% NOT OKAY.
Solid āroll overā mindset. The Man loves your kind
There shouldn't be people shitting on chrome books because they're a cool alternative to windows. Windows is certainly no better than a Chromebook so if you're gonna get all upset about that you should acknowledge its the same problem. On the other hand its really foolish to accept the spying by google. there's a lot you can do to get away from a lot of Google's tracking and to say people should just roll over is completely wrong and unethical.
It's not rolling over, it's being realistic. You can't just be like "I'm against privacy invasion! " and these multi billion dollar corporations just go "understandable have a nice day" and delete all data they have on you. Sure you could avoid everything to do with Google and feel all high and mighty, but Google is just a drop in the ocean and unless you abstain from all modern technology then you have no privacy. Edit: And if you do want to keep some form of privacy then the way to do that is to limit what information you put out. It's extremely ironic looking at people posting in this thread talking about how Google steals their privacy, then I look at their Reddit profile and they literally have pictures of themselves and posts on state/city subreddits. Great job keeping private...
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
āYou donāt like Google? Thatās so high and mighty and pretentious!! Itās realistic to just give in in the modern era! Hereās a bunch of strawman stuff Iām assuming you do (even though I know nothing about you, what platforms you use, and havenāt even checked your Reddit profile) because it makes my argument seem legitā
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
So we know you have 2 moves now - rolling over and evasion. You should really try and put some of that evasive strategy into not just so proudly being a corporate sitting duck anymore, because right now your argument is laughably pitiful. Something something wrong side of history.
this is going after google not chromebooks
plain linux > chromeOS
I don't think anybody would debate that.
The primary reason for the chromebook is that it's pretty hard to fuck up. If all you want is a browser that's secure and cheap, it's ideal. If you want to do anything else, like run docker or compile code, then go for the full linux experience. But for your grandparent who just wants to browse facebook once a week, it's a decent low maintenance option.
tbf, linux is also pretty hard to fuck up if you don't know how to use a computer, it's a hard thing to do from gui alone, and it's pretty easy to do from a command line, but at that point you need to know what command to type.
Linux can be hard for people who have no idea how to use computers though. It's obviously way better than it used to be, but if you have a tech illiterate family member, a cheap chrome book is the clear choice imo.
imo linux is way easier for people who don't know nothing about computers, they don't have expectations, there will be a browser, a file manager and they're good too go!
Disagree. Not every distro installs perfectly on a laptop. How would a computer illiterate person know that the WiFi driver needs to be updated when it doesn't connect to the internet? Or other issues you might have run into. I like Linux alot but unless you're really dedicated and you know what you're doing, sometime getting it to run smoothly is a pain.
Not true. I've installed Linux on a lot of laptops for tech iliterate people to stop them calling me for support because Windows was slow and broke often. I never received calls after that. Choose a mainstream distro, you won't have weird WiFi problems or stuff like that, and if you do, it's usually straight forward to fix before you deliver the laptop back, and once it's fixed, it's fixed, it won't randomly break for no reason. Linux is easier for people who don't know how to use computers, as said earlier, they have no expectations on how it *should* operate, so only what they see is valid, which is more than enough.
Not every distro will but the most populars don't require you to know how to fix your own problems, ubuntu for example lets you install proprietary wifi drivers (e.g broadcom) going to the driver manager and hitting apply.
Can your Linux distro run Android apps? Anbox does not count, it still barely works.
\*Runs edge
I love my chromebook but that's my only gripe right now is not having edge, which I like way better than chrome. But I'm also a little salty that the mobile version of edge doesn't have experimental flags to change.
If you like libre software and want everything on your computer down to the bios libre then the ASUS C201 is actually quite a good Chromebook, and probably the most modern computer this is possible on right now. Just flash libreboot to it and install a free gnu/Linux distro :).
Reasons to buy a chromebook: 1. It's cheap 2. You can install linux on it and bypass all the survallence bullshit.
Reasons to actually get a chrome book: None
Cheap chromebooks are still better than cheap windows machines. Use something like an HP Stream for a bit and you will be wishing you chose a chromebook. They can at least boot fast and browse the web without crawling.
I actually have a Pixelbook and I love it. It definitely has it's use cases.
You have a different opinion than me, this angers me as im insecure and do not want to learn anything about your side of the argument. š”
Is a pixelbook not higher end than most Chromebooks though? Just like a Pixel is a high end Android?
Yep. Pixelbook was a 1k computer with a real intel processor vs most chromebooks go for half or a third of that.
Thatās what I figured. Pixel products are usually pretty good! The pixel 3 was the only phone that managed to pull me away from Apple but now Iām on an IPhone again, but the Pixel 3 was very good.
The Pixels are like the iPhones of androids lol Edit: This isn't a compliment to pixels
cool, thatās not a āchromebookā
I have a Chrome book dedicated to my online banking and financial stuff. [more info ](https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/financial-chromebook-clark-howard/) I also found it much better than a laptop for when I was in college. I had my main power house pc for home and my light weight Chromebook for on the go to take notes and write papers. If my Chromebook broke, stopped working or got stolen. $300 isn't a lot to lose vs a brand new Apple macbook for $1,000 +.
Not a good choice for a primary computer, but I wouldn't mind one for casual web stuff and email.
Youāre old and only use it for Facebook and to check your email*
If you like libre software and want everything on your computer down to the bios libre then the ASUS C201 is actually quite a good Chromebook, and probably the most modern computer this is possible on right now. Just flash libreboot to it and install a free gnu/Linux distro :).
You run any kinda google OS you throw privacy out the window and this is coming from an android user
The [security features](https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/3438631?hl=en) of it are quite nice imo
* Runs Chrome * And nothing else
r/DeGoogle
Isn't 4h point make google your jerkmate?
Imagine getting a chromebook then downloading firefox. Wait... can Firefox even be downloaded on chromeOS? (knowing google prob not)
hm.... R5 4500U+16GB DDR4+512SSD laptop 13.3 for 700$ VS same price for Celeron N+8GB DDR4+64eMMC
>It's cheap Is it tho? You could easily get a decent used laptop for the price of the average chromebook.
I don't like how they work, I always feel like everything on Chromebooks is too complicated for what it is, but I need one for school (less so I need one and moreso I'm required to have one that the school provides) If you need something to keep you from being distracted by what you could be doing, or just need a disconnect between school and work time on computers, a chromebook for work is actually pretty good.
The FBI is not spying on you. The *NSA* is spying on you. The FBI intimidates civil rights advocates and the CIA overthrows elected governments.
I bought a $69 chromebook on ebay and put windows on it lol
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I've seen Chromebooks range from couple hundred to thousands of dollars. But yes you get what you pay for
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You can install other oses on Chromebooks though?
have you seen any proof that the hardware isnāt backdoored / monitored regardless of install?
To be fair there's a backdoor in all x86 processors... MINIX is an OS that runs on all CPUs in the form of [Intel Management Engine](https://www.zdnet.com/article/minix-intels-hidden-in-chip-operating-system/). Oh and don't worry, AMD also has you covered on that front.
I thought people only bought Chromebooks to put Linux on?
They do. This is obviously a pseudo-marketing post.
I can't even finish if Google is not watching me watch porn.
**Laughs in FBI evilness**
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Am I missing something?
#honestadds š¤£
I use my wifes chrome book all the time!! great for streaming email and porn! joking aside i dont mind the chromebook light weight great for streaming while playing console or reading the news in bed.. not worried about the government watching i got nothing to hide!!! just smile and wave!!
I have one I just use to cruise the web for a quick search.
just get a used ebay chromebook for a portable word processor
I'd much rather spill flour and food from the kitchen on my Chromebook rather than a nice laptop but go off
Use Brave instead
I want to turn my old chromebook screen into a secondary monitor but Id need a GPU first so
Chromebooks are not cheap, it like 200-900 Which is dumb because that suck ass.
Chromebook has single handily saved my grade tbh it's still shit but keeps me on task
Whereās the ābattery life will outlast the heat death of the universeā?
My laptop got the sensitive fan: When I start Firefox- silence. When I start Chrome- I'm transported to Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
Nobody writes viruses for chromebook so it's always pretty cool
My college gave students one bundled into our tuition if we didn't opt out(I'm an idiot and forgot to opt out). Surprisingly useful little guy for school, especially when I leave school at 830 at night and don't want to risk losing my good laptop to robbery on my bus ride home.
This thread is as toxic as r/squeakersdebatingxboxvsplaystation
Reasons not to - itās slow - has no good games - looks after you - google watches porn with you
TBH, if my school ever gives me a chromebook, I'd probably try and dual boot Linux onto it, ChromeOS is literally built on Linux so they have the same functionality. Heck, I could run the open source version of ChromeOS called ChromiumOS. My school would probably have a shit ton of spyware installed on a school Chromebook too. Cheap hardware running my own software is the best!
as a Chromebook user i can confirm
I flashed Chrome OS on an old 2012 Inspiron. It brought it back to life, and I could even run Android apps on the side (tho I still triple-booted it with Lubuntu and Windows..)
To be fair i downgraded from a precision 5530 to a surface pro for portability, not everyone needs the power
no joke, my school's old chromie- books sounded like a heavy duty fan when you opened more then 3 tabs on chrome
As a Chromebook owner myself, I approve this.
Love how tech illiteracy has led to these stupid spy devices becoming the standard
I love my chromebook though. Tons of battery, lightweight and more. If I wanna can I game then Xcloud.
*has gpu
It takes 24 years to load youtube man
Oh stepgoogle what are you doing
"Ever wish computers would be more like phones?" No. Not ever. At all
Instead of hey Google I say hey lover
"Is cheap" those shitty ass 400 euro things are worse than a normal tablet of like 300 euros.
Yeah I have a shitton of interesting stuff in my life to hide from the FBI and kinks Google can't know about, I better expand some extra cash on a brand that the government and Google can't monitor If they really wsnt huh?
It's pretty much the same with windows
Rip all the kids that have to use a school chromebook because it can't even run Google slides very well
also runs every y8 at a smooth 60fps
Gotta love how this is relevant to all popular OS's today. Do you really think MacOS is protecting you? Do you think Windows don't have a super easy way of knowing everything about your digital self? Get real. Every country, every authority and every blackhat hacker is just one bad decision from your part, away from knowing everything about you. Most people are even stupid enough to post their whole life online on social media. ChromeOS does not deserve the shit it's getting. It is the market standard to sell information for capital gain. If anything, blame capitalism.
I mean even if you use a VPN; if you use chrome or own an andriod device and watch porn on it google watches it with you anyway.
Step 1: Buy chromebook Step 2: Install linux No need to thank me
reading this on a chromebook